Waterproof Taped Glove and Mitten with Laminated Leather

ABSTRACT

A leather laminating method and an apparatus manufactured by applying the leather laminating method. A waterproof membrane may be sandwiched between two layers of breathable materials, and a waterproof breathable (WPB) material may be formed. The WPB material may be laminated to a leather material by using a dot adhesive, and a laminate construction may be created. The laminate construction may be cut into pieces, and the pieces may be sewn together into a hand-covering garment. The garment may be taped at seams to prevent water from passing through the garment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a method of laminatingleather, which is applied for making gloves or mittens that can be usedfor a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, especially inenvironments abundant with water or humidity.

BACKGROUND

One of the most important objectives of making gloves and mittens thatare exposed to water is to ensure that they are waterproof while beingbreathable.

Currently in the art, gloves are most commonly waterproofed by insertinga bag, made of a waterproof material, into a glove. The bag is shapedaccording to the glove that contains it. Further, it is tacked at thefingertips and either sewn or glued to the glove. This process seals theglove in its entirety, but only on its inner side. However, the outerlayer of the glove is made by sewing pieces of a desired material, e.g.,leather, to each other, which in turn produces seams in the outer layer.The drawback of this method is that, as a result, the outer layer ceasesto be waterproof at the seams and allows water to penetrate through itand fill the glove in the portion between the outer layer and thelaminated bag. Consequently, several important properties of the glovemade in this manner are diminished, some of them being breathability,weight, and the insulating and the drying capability of the glove.

Another technique of waterproofing gloves, known in the art, isdeveloped to eliminate the void between an outer layer and a waterproofmembrane by laminating the two materials to each other in their flatform. As a result, however, this technique tilts the balance between thewaterproof capabilities of the glove and its breathability against thebreathability of the glove due to the direct integration of the outerlayer with the membrane. Namely, the lamination process creates anoverly robust and impermeable construction consisting of the twomaterials. Next, the laminate sheath is cut out into pieces and thepieces are sewn together to form a glove, inevitably producing seams inthe glove. Having too many seams further affects the ability of theglove to allow vapor from perspiration to pass through, because, inorder for the glove to remain waterproof, the seams must be taped.Excessive taping diminishes the breathability of the glove made by thismethod.

Accordingly, there is a need for a leather lamination technique formanufacturing gloves and mittens, which ensures that they are waterproofwithout hindering their breathability.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of laminatingleather, which is applied for making apparatus that can be used for avariety of indoor and outdoor activities, especially in environmentsabundant with water or humidity. One example of such an apparatus mayinclude a dorsal section and a palmar section, wherein the dorsalsection and the palmar section may be made of a laminate construction.

The laminate construction may include at least two materials laminatedto each other, where a first of the at least two materials may beleather and a second of the at least two materials may be a waterproofbreathable material. The waterproof breathable material may include aplurality of layers, where one of the plurality of layers may be awaterproof membrane. The waterproof membrane may be sandwiched betweenat least two other layers of the plurality of layers. The at least twoother layers of the plurality of layers may be made of breathablematerials. Then, the palmar section may be joined with the dorsalsection.

Specifically, the palmar section and the dorsal section may be sewn toeach other to form at least one seam, where the at least one seam may betaped to prevent water from penetrating through the seam. Moreover, thelaminate construction may include an adhesive material placed betweenthe leather material and the waterproof breathable material, where theadhesive material may be a dot adhesive material.

The leather material may be a natural leather material or a syntheticleather material, and it may be perforated.

In one example, the waterproof breathable material may be a shell fabric“sandwich” comprising a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, anda tricot or woven backer. In another embodiment, the waterproofbreathable material may be a soft shell fabric “sandwich” comprising aface fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a fleece or tricotbacker. Another example of the waterproof breathable material may be a“pocket-liner” fabric “sandwich” comprising the waterproof membrane, andtwo layers of tricot or woven backer which may be laid above and belowthe waterproof membrane.

One example of a method of manufacturing hand-covering garments mayinclude the steps of forming a waterproof breathable construction bysandwiching a waterproof membrane between at least two layers, where theat least two layers may be made of breathable materials, forming alaminate construction by using an adhesive material to laminate thewaterproof breathable construction to a leather material, cutting thelaminate construction into pieces, and sewing the pieces of the laminateconstruction into a hand-covering garment.

In one embodiment, this method may include creating seams along a lineof sewing of the pieces of the laminate construction to each other andwaterproofing the hand-covering garment by taping said seams.

Another example of this method may further include sewing the pieces ofthe laminate construction into a glove, where the glove may be formed ina “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern, or, more specifically, where the glove maybe formed by sewing a dorsal section and a palmar section to each otherin a manner where the palmar section may include a front portion of fourfinger cavities other than a thumb cavity, and the dorsal section mayinclude a back portion of a second and a fifth finger cavity.

One embodiment of the present invention may be a hand-covering garmentwhich may include a dorsal section and a palmar section joined together,where the dorsal section and the palmar section may be made of alaminate construction, which may include at least two materialslaminated to each other. A first of the at least two materials may beleather and a second of the at least two materials may be a waterproofbreathable material.

The waterproof breathable material may include a plurality of layersthat may be stacked on top of each other to form a “sandwich” of layers.In such embodiment, one of the plurality of layers may be a waterproofmembrane, where the waterproof membrane may be sandwiched between atleast two other layers of the plurality of layers, the two layers beingmade of breathable materials.

Further, the “sandwich” of layers may be one of the following: a shellfabric “sandwich,” a soft shell fabric “sandwich,” and a “pocket-liner”fabric “sandwich.” While the shell fabric “sandwich” may comprise a facefabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a tricot or woven backer, thesoft shell fabric “sandwich” may include a face fabric layer, thewaterproof membrane, and a fleece or tricot backer. Finally, the“pocket-liner” fabric “sandwich” may comprise the waterproof membraneand two layers of tricot or woven backer that may be laid above andbelow the waterproof membrane.

In addition, the hand-covering garment may constitute a mitten. Finally,the hand- covering garment may include darts on its top portion, and thedarts may provide a pre-curve fit at the top portion of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings. Thedrawings are intended to disclose but a few possible examples of thepresent invention, and thus do not limit the present invention's scope.

FIG. 1 shows one example of leather laminating where an adhesivematerial is used to laminate a leather material to a waterproofbreathable material;

FIG. 2 shows one example of leather laminating where a waterproofbreathable material is sandwiched between two layers prior to beinglaminated to a leather material;

FIG. 3 shows one example of a long-gauntlet that is manufactured bysewing pieces of a laminate including a leather material and awaterproof breathable material;

FIG. 4 shows one example of a short-gauntlet, i.e. under-cuff glove thatis manufactured by sewing pieces of a laminate including a leathermaterial and a waterproof breathable material;

FIG. 5 shows one example of a mitten manufactured by sewing pieces of alaminate of a leather material and a waterproof breathable material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally relates to a method of laminatingleather, which may be applied for making gloves or mittens that can beused for a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, especially inenvironments abundant with water or humidity. While a preferred exampleof laminating leather is described in detail below, a construction inaccordance with the present invention may be used in a broad range ofproducts, such as indoor and outdoor garments, as well a variety ofgloves, mittens and other apparel and accessories.

One example of laminating leather in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1, where laminate 100 construction isdescribed. The laminate 100 may include three materials arranged on topof each other in their flat form: leather 101, which may constitute anouter layer of the laminate 100, waterproof breathable material (WPB)102, which may be an inner element of the laminate 100 construction, andadhesive 103, which may be placed between the leather 101 and the WPB102. The function of the adhesive 103 may be to attach the leather 101to the WPB 102 in a high-temperature environment, when the laminate 100may be formed as a result.

One of the advantages of laminating the leather 101 to the WPB 102 isthat the end product, the laminate 100, may constitute a waterproofleather construction, i.e., a material which may prevent water frompenetrating through the leather 101 and from being accumulated betweenthe leather 101 and the WPB 102. Joining the two materials in thismanner may improve breathability, weight, and the insulating and thedrying capability of a garment made of the laminate 100, as compared tothe existing technologies, for the reasons that will be discussed indetail.

A material used for the leather 101 may be a natural leather material,for example, goat, cow, pig, or sheep leather, or any other leathermaterial deemed suitable for making leather garments. Further, thematerial used for the leather 101 may be any synthetic leather materialincluding, but not limited to, synthetic suede or rubber. Moreover,leather 101 may be vented, or perforated, in order to increase theoverall vapor permeability of the laminate 100 compared to existinglamination technologies. On the other hand, in instances wherewaterproof properties are preferred to breathability, non-perforatedleather may be applied.

Moreover, the adhesive 103 may constitute a film adhesive, or it may bea dot adhesive, illustrated in FIG. 1. Applying dot adhesive materialimproves breathability of the laminate 100 in comparison with existinglamination technologies, due to intermittent placement of glue withinthe adhesive material.

As shown in FIG. 2, the WPB 102 may include three layers: membrane 204,and two additional layers which may sandwich the membrane 204. Amaterial used for the membrane 204 may be waterproof, which may renderthe entire WPB 102 construction impenetrable to water. In addition, theother two layers of the WPB 102 may be made of materials that mayenhance the breathability of the WPB 102. Namely, sandwiching themembrane 204 between two such materials may place a layer in-between themembrane 204 and the leather 101, which may allow vapor fromperspiration to pass through, without diminishing the waterproofproperties of the WPB 102, and consequently, the laminate 100.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2( a), the WPB 102 may constituteshell fabric “sandwich” (SFS) 205 construction, which may include themembrane 204, face fabric (FF) 206, and tricot or woven backer (TWB)207. The FF 206 may be made of any material deemed suitable forpermeating vapor. Moreover, the FF 206 may be made of nylon, polyester,or any other synthetic material. In one example, the FF 206 may be usedas an interface between the WPB 102 and the leather 101, joined togetherto form the laminate 100.

In another embodiment, depicted in FIG. 2( b), the WPB 102 mayconstitute soft shell fabric “sandwich” (SSFS) 208 construction, whichmay include the membrane 204, the FF 206, and fleece or tricot backer(FTB) 209. The FF 206 of this embodiment may be made of any materialdeemed suitable for allowing vapor from perspiration to pass through. Inaddition, the FF 206 of the SSFS 208 may be used as an interface betweenthe WPB 102 and the leather 101, joined together to construct thelaminate 100.

In yet another example, shown in FIG. 2( c), the WPB 102 may constitute“pocket-liner” fabric “sandwich” (PLFS) 210 construction, which mayinclude the membrane 204 and two TWB 207 layers laid over and under themembrane 204. One of the two TWB 207 layers may be used as an interfacebetween the WPB 102 and the leather 101, joined together to form thelaminate 100.

Next, the laminate 100 may be cut into pieces to manufacture a varietyof garments. In comparison with the existing technologies, a garmentmade of such material shows improved durability, because the insertedlayer protects the membrane 204 in case of delamination.

In one of the examples shown in FIG. 3( a), the laminate 100 may be usedto form long-gauntlet (LG) glove 300, by sewing together pieces of thelaminate 100. As a result, seams 311 may form along lines where thepieces of the laminate join. Thus, in order to maintain the LG glove 300fully waterproof, the seams 311 may be taped with a waterproof tape (notshown in the drawing).

Moreover, assembling the LG glove 300 by using as few pieces of thelaminate 100 as possible may be desirable, in order for fewer seams 311to be created, resulting in fewer paths for water to pass through the LGglove 300. Accordingly, less tape would need to be used to tape theseams 311, which would, in turn, enhance the breathability of the glove,considering the general characteristic of taping materials to block thevapor from passing through. In one embodiment, a “reverse-gunn-cut”pattern may be applied to minimize the number of the pieces used formanufacturing the LG glove 300, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern may be created by sewing dorsal section312 to palmar section 313. In one example, the dorsal section 312 mayinclude a backside of the second and the fifth finger cavities of the LGglove 300, and the palmar section 313 may incorporate front portions ofall four finger cavities of the LG glove 300, not counting a thumbcavity. Sewing the dorsal section 312 to the palmar section 313 may beperformed along a single seam, i.e. lateral seam 314, thereby minimizingthe number of seams created. Next, back middle portion 315 may be joinedwith the palmar section 313 and the dorsal section 312 along knuckleseam 316. Further, inner thumb section 317 may be sewn to outer thumbsection 318 and the construction of the two may be attached to theremainder of the LG glove 300. Subsequently, all the seams may be taped,in order to preserve the waterproof capabilities of the LG glove 300. Onthe other hand, the seams of the “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern may remainnot taped, and this construction may be built with a traditional insertconstruction. Finally, the “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern may be made withno insert at all.

One of the advantages of this glove manufacturing pattern, in additionto limiting the number of seams in a glove, may be that, in comparisonwith a regular “gunn-cut” pattern, known in the art, gloves made in the“reverse-gunn-cut” pattern may be more comfortable and more durable.Namely, by reversing the gunn-cut pattern, the middle portion 315 may beattached to a base of the LG glove 300 at the knuckles area, and not ata palmar crease area, in contrast with the regular “gunn-cut” pattern.Thus, when an object is held while wearing the LG glove 300, the seamattaching the middle portion 315 may not be located in a grab area ofthe LG glove 300, and, thus, it would neither interfere with the bendingmotion of the fingers, nor be placed in a direct contact with thegrabbed object. As a result, the “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern may reducetearing of the LG glove 300 at the seam, and it may also render theglove 300 more comfortable to wear.

One embodiment of the current invention may include darts 319 at themiddle knuckle of each finger. Such feature of the LG glove 300 mayfurther improve its durability, because it may prevent puckering oftaped areas of the LG glove 300 by providing a pre-curve fit at fingercavities.

In another example, illustrated in FIG. 4, laminate 100 may be used toform short-gauntlet (SG) glove 400, by sewing together pieces of thelaminate 100. The SG glove 400 may be under-cuff, i.e. shortened aroundthe wrist area.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment that may prioritize thermal insulation andbreathability related benefits of a hand-cover garment made of thelaminate 100 over its functionality and over the tactile sense that thegarment permits to the fingers. In one of the examples of the presentinvention, pieces of the laminate 100 may be sewn together to formmitten 500. The mitten 500 may contain four fingers in a same cavity,thereby further decreasing the number of seams needed to manufacture it.Namely, the mitten 500 may omit the middle portion 315 depicted in FIG.3( b), and, thus, the knuckle seam 316 may be eliminated. Consequently,the taping of the seams may be reduced, which may, in turn, increase thebreathability of the mitten 500. Moreover, by containing four fingerstogether, the mitten 500 may expose less area surface of the fingers tothe garment, thereby decreasing heat exchange between the fingers andthe surrounding environment.

In one embodiment, darts 524 may be created in back portion 525 of themitten 500. Such feature of the mitten 500 may further improve itsdurability, because it may prevent puckering of taped areas of themitten 500 by providing a pre-curve fit at a top portion of the mitten500.

Finally, similarly to the glove embodiments discussed above, the mitten500 may be either a long-gauntlet mitten or an under-cuff mitten,shortened around the wrist area.

While various embodiments have been described, other embodiments areplausible. It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions ofvarious examples of using laminated leather to manufacture gloves ormittens are not intended to be limiting, and any number ofmodifications, combinations, and alternatives of the examples may beemployed.

The examples described herein are merely illustrative, as numerous otherembodiments may be implemented without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. Moreover, while certain features of theinvention may be described above only in the context of certain examplesor configurations, these features may be exchanged, added, and removedfrom and between the various embodiments or configurations whileremaining within the scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a dorsal section and a palmar section, wherein the dorsal section and the palmar section are made of a laminate construction; wherein the laminate construction includes at least two materials laminated to each other; wherein a first of the at least two materials is leather and wherein a second of the at least two materials is a waterproof breathable material; wherein the waterproof breathable material comprises a plurality of layers; wherein one of the plurality of layers is a waterproof membrane; wherein the waterproof membrane is sandwiched between at least two other layers of the plurality of layers; wherein the at least two other layers of the plurality of layers are made of breathable materials; and wherein the palmar section is joined with the dorsal section.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the palmar section and the dorsal section are sewn to each other to form at least one seam; wherein the at least one seam is taped to prevent water from penetrating through the at least one seam.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the laminate construction further comprises an adhesive material placed between the leather material and the waterproof breathable material.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the adhesive material is a dot adhesive material.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the leather material is one of the following: a natural leather material and a synthetic leather material.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the leather material is perforated.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waterproof breathable material is a shell fabric sandwich, wherein the shell fabric sandwich comprises a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a tricot or woven backer.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waterproof breathable material is a soft shell fabric sandwich, wherein the soft shell fabric “sandwich” comprises a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a fleece or tricot backer.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the waterproof breathable material is a pocket-liner fabric sandwich, wherein the pocket-liner fabric sandwich comprises the waterproof membrane, and two layers of tricot or woven backer which are laid above and below the waterproof membrane.
 10. A method of manufacturing hand-covering garments comprising the steps of: forming a waterproof breathable construction by sandwiching a waterproof membrane between at least two layers, wherein the at least two layers are made of breathable materials; forming a laminate construction by using an adhesive material to laminate the waterproof breathable construction to a leather material; cutting the laminate construction into pieces; and sewing the pieces of the laminate construction into a hand-covering garment.
 11. The method of manufacturing hand-covering garments of claim 10, comprising: creating seams along a line of sewing of the pieces of the laminate construction to each other; and waterproofing the hand-covering garment by taping said seams.
 12. The method of manufacturing hand-covering garments of claim 10, comprising: sewing the pieces of the laminate construction into a glove, wherein the glove is formed in a “reverse-gunn-cut” pattern.
 13. The method of manufacturing hand-covering garments of claim 12, further comprising: providing a pre-curve fit at the top portion by including darts.
 14. The method of manufacturing hand-covering garments of claim 10, comprising: sewing the pieces of the laminate construction into a glove, wherein the glove is formed by sewing a dorsal section and a palmar section to each other; wherein the palmar section includes a front portion of four finger cavities other than a thumb cavity; and wherein the dorsal section includes a back portion of a second and a fifth finger cavity.
 15. A hand-covering garment, comprising: a dorsal section and a palmar section, wherein the dorsal section and the palmar section are made of a laminate construction; wherein the laminate construction includes at least two materials laminated to each other; wherein a first of the at least two materials is leather and wherein a second of the at least two materials is a waterproof breathable material; wherein the waterproof breathable material comprises a plurality of layers that are stacked on top of each other to form a “sandwich” of layers; wherein one of the plurality of layers is a waterproof membrane; wherein the waterproof membrane is sandwiched between at least two other layers of the plurality of layers; wherein the at least two other layers of the plurality of layers are made of breathable materials; wherein the sandwich of layers is one of the following: a shell fabric sandwich, a soft shell fabric sandwich, and a pocket-liner fabric sandwich, and wherein the palmar section is joined with the dorsal section.
 16. The hand-covering garment of claim 15, wherein the shell fabric “sandwich” comprises a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a tricot or woven backer.
 17. The hand-covering garment of claim 15, wherein the soft shell fabric sandwich comprises a face fabric layer, the waterproof membrane, and a fleece or tricot backer.
 18. The hand-covering garment of claim 15, wherein the pocket-liner fabric sandwich comprises the waterproof membrane and two layers of tricot or woven backer that are laid above and below the waterproof membrane.
 19. The hand-covering garment of claim 15 is one of the following: long-gauntlet glove, under-cuff glove, long-gauntlet mitten, and under-cuff mitten.
 20. The hand-covering garment of claim 15, wherein a top portion of the garment includes darts which provide a pre-curve fit at the top portion. 